Contract Management:
Just Give Me 10 Strong Managers
Betty J. Noyes, RN, MA
Nurse Leader, June 2004, pp. 42 & 43
Did you ever have those thoughts at the beginning of the day or
in the middle of a budget meeting?
After 3 years of working with well-intentioned, motivated, challenging managers, I can
understand these wishes. Managers, representing all departments and all types of
health care facilities, want to be strong but frequently are unable to bring
muscularity to the forum. They are not in good shape.
In my 30 years of health care administration, whenever I have
been successful, it is because a strong team surrounded me. When the stakes are
high and time is limited, a strong team of managers is not a luxury – it is a
critical ingredient.
What do you do when you find yourself wishing for strong
managers to assist with finance, human resources, conflict resolution,
unit-based team motivation, commitment, responsibility, and project completion?
As chief nursing executive, do you jump in, take on more responsibility and
workload to compensate for the lack of skill on the front line?
Add to this complex dilemma an underperformer in the group whom
you know is consuming your resources and putting the organization at risk. Do a
scarcity of resources and a lack of time, energy, support, and knowledge to
recruit a new manager tend to cause you to duck the decision to take corrective
action?
As a consultant who has worked closely with more than 500
managers, I understand that a critical missing element in achieving the goal of
10 strong managers reflects on the lack of time spent reviewing the basic skills
required to effectively handle the load of the ever-expanding management role in
today's health care system.
My belief is that the more complex the system has gotten in the
past decade, the more we tended to jump onto complicated issues, leaving the
building block foundations of management skill development to erode. The
additional weight of complexity crumbles the weak foundation and we are left
with a weak structure with too few strong managers.
I am convinced that for a modest investment in time, the goal of
10 strong managers is obtainable, affordable, and worth every minute.
Organizations that have chosen to assist with the "strength training" and skill
of their managers believe the return on investment is high.
Our assessment tools have revealed that the level of skill competency of
untrained managers rarely exceeds 50%. That means more than half of the tasks
required of the front line manager in your organization are greeted by a manager
with a lack of self-confidence and knowledge. It is no surprise that a similar
50% express job dissatisfaction. No wonder 84% of staff say the reason they
leave their staff positions is dissatisfaction with management.
The scariest statistic is that we entrust our financial and
clinical outcomes, recruitment, and retention targets to those people who
self-score only 50%. The answer is not rocket science. It is taking the time to
build the fundamentals and being able to answer these questions:
What is an ADC? - How do you structure a selection interview?
- What is an FTE?
- How do you keep a team motivated?
- How do you learn to work with a mentor?
- What value is there in networking?
- How do you handle an irate colleague?
- What does a union organization effort look like from beginning to end?
- How do you conduct effective performance evaluations?
If You Have Seen 1 Hospital, You Have Seen
Only 1 Hospital
Skills and knowledge may cross organizational lines, but the
application of the skills required of a successful manager varies tremendously.
A successful manager one organization is not necessarily successful in another.
Theory is not the answer. Application of practical skills is the only hope for
success. Large lectures and cram courses are also not the answer. Managers must
be provided with the opportunity for practice in a safe, neutral environment,
using the organization's forms, policies, and procedures and taking advantage of
stakeholders and internal mentors.
Another critical criterion for success is success. Structuring
an opportunity for the novice manager to succeed at a project with direct impact
on measurable outcomes is a necessity to build self-confidence. We encourage
each participant to select a burning issue or process that really bugs him or
her, something they really wish was different in the workplace. We provide them
with support internally from the mentorship program and externally from faculty
We encourage questions, acknowledge frustration, and explain the difference
between winning a battle and losing a war and losing a battle but winning the
war. That is what a learning academy is.
Our program has consistently realized that one of the most
critical skills missing is making a presentation to peers and senior executives
using current technology. Learning how to use Microsoft PowerPoint and story
boards and being able to tell a story in less than 15 minutes to make your case
heard and understood are critical to boosting self-confidence and vital for
managers and directors.
So the recipe for "10 Strong Managers" is simple:
- Select 10 managers you wish to retrain and enhance their skill
- Arrange 8-10 modules of interactive skill training taught by
8-10 health care faculty
- Blend first two ingredients over 8-10 months
- Fold in skills application with each ingredient
- Let ability rise with the help of an internal mentor who can
break down barriers and expose the ingredients to new experiences
- Produce a product to show the success of your recipe
- Hold a banquet to celebrate success
References
- 1067-991X/2004/$30.00 + 0, Copyright 2004 by Elsevier Inc.,
doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2004.03.008, Nurse Leader June 2004
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